contact@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 01

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©2011 TOURISM - TOP 25 Performers Edition

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

Bloom Consulting, has created this World Ranking in order to answer the fundamental issue at the heart of every country, corporation and soul: how does one become attractive? Luckily, the rationale behind such a question for a nation is quite simple. A country wishes to draw the interest of people in order to create wealth. In other words, the purpose of country branding is to bring economic growth.

countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 01

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © 2011 TOURISM - TOP 25 Performers Edition

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISMTOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

As a result of every country branding individual strategy, international tourism receipts in 2009 accumulated for $950 billion worldwide.

From 2005-2009, international tourism revenues worldwide experienced a 4.6% annual growth rate.

The African and Asian countries have grown significantly, at an annual rate of 7.5% and 6.9% respectively, followed by Oceania and North America whose respective growth rates stood at 5.9% and 4.1%. Latin America and Europe have grown the least during the same time span at annual rates of 3.9% and 3.6% respectively. This is a remarkable figure for Europe due to the size and maturity of its market, however the country branding effect, has contributed largelly for this result.

In absolute terms, Europe has been able to generate the highest revenues from interna-tional tourism, followed by Asia and North America. The US has generated the highest amount of international tourism revenue for a single country, about 3.4 times the size of African stock. Despite its size, the US has managed to experience a significant growth during recent years.

countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 02

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©2011 TOURISM - TOP 25 Performers Edition

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISMTOP 25 PerformersEdition

It is essential for countries to realize that the image a nation projects has a significant impact on the economy as a whole. The country brand strategy you convey will undoubtedly affect the way your country is perceived. The current global financial crisis has proved this. For instance, we can now see how credit rating agencies are highly influencing external perceptions about countries and more importantly the strong impact they have on a country’s economic perfor-mance. The interesting fact is that how these ratings are calculated are not in the public domain, but rather the speculative effect they have is; it has proven country branding is more than a capricious political idea, but rather a definite national necessity countries now need to face and manage as a priority. Countries can no longer afford to allow third parties to play with their national asset – their brand.

Traditional country branding studies and rankings have used public opinion and stereotypes in order to draw conclusions. Bloom Consulting has created the first country ranking which cap-tures the links between the image a country projects and the effect this has on the country’s success. We have merged macro and micro country facts and statistics, and correlated them with the communication strategies conveyed by every country in the world. This has enabled us to reach deeply meaningful conclusions that mathematically prove that positioning your country in a specific way will have a direct impact on your GDP. Such consequential conclusions are what other studies in the past have lacked.

This report will help you understand the delicacies of country branding. It will let you compre-hend the current situation worldwide, and which communication strategies should be empha-sized or ignored. It will unearth the regional complexities in this global competition, by unleash-ing the truth behind how a country is perceived and the way it can differentiate itself in the international arena.

We sincerely believe that this report will expand your knowledge on how to brand your country, and will contribute to guiding your country down the path to success.

José Filipe Torres - CEO of Bloom Consulting

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 03countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

Introductory NoteA word from our CEO

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISMTOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

Page 04

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

Country Branding Current ChallengesBloom Consulting “3T” Approach ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

The main objectives for creating a country brand strategy rely on three main areas:T1- Attraction of TradeT2- Attraction of TourismT3- Attraction of Talent

The traditional approach to face these challenges is to create, or simply improve, perceptions of the country both domestically and internationally. Most of these initiatives are developed under one umbrella strategy.This means countries try to create one single strategy for 3 different objectives. However, the ideology and objective behind each one is simply different and ultimately will not work; the 3 objectives are completely antagonistic. As an illustrative example, one cannot com-municate leisure and entertainment to investors at the same time as communicating a qualified and hardworking workforce to potential tourists. They automatically repel each other, therefore destroying their core objective. Most of the time, what countries try to do is reach a compromise to better understand the objective of the overall country brand strategy.

Fig. 1 - Bloom Consulting's ‘3T’ Approach ©

Bloom Consulting’s country branding methodology separates these objectives, trade, tourism and talent and treats them individually, not as an umbrella strategy. Thus, we are able to derive growth projections and calculations in order to better understand the objective of the overall strategy (see Fig. 1).

T2

T1 T3

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

*Hong Kong has been added to the list as Bloom Consulting considered the specific nature of the territory and the importance of its economic variables. Treating them separately allows us to analyze the real potential of both Hong-Kong and China respectively.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 05countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The ResearchUnderstanding the research methodology

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 06countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The ResearchUnderstanding the research methodology

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 07countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The RankingBloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 08countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

Belgium16.

Sweden22.

Canada23.

India20.

11. Hong Kong

Germany4.

Switzerland13.

Italy7.

China6.

Australia8.

UK5.

France3.

Mexico14.

Netherlands15.

Japan25Turkey12.

Spain2.

USA1.

Austria9.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The Ranking - TOP 25Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

10. Thailand

Malaysia17.

Portugal21.

19. Greece

Egypt18.

Russian Federation24.

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 09countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The RatingBloom Consulting Country Brand Rating ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 10countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

Major positive impact

Moderate positive impact

Minor positive impact

No impact

Minor negative impact

Moderate negative impact

Major negative impact

Triple Green

Double Green

Single Green

White

Single Red

Double Red

Triple Red

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The RatingBloom Consulting Country Brand Rating ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 11countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

USA

China

France

Australia

Mexico

Japan

BelgiumGermany

Netherlands

Italy India

Turkey

Canada

UK Hong Kong

Russian Federation

SwedenSwitzerland

Austria

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The Rating – TOP 25Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating ©

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

Thailand Portugal

Greece

Egypt

Malaysia

Spain

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

Bloom Consulting © 2003 - 2011 Page 12countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The Country Branding StrategyHow the world is differentiating itself

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

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Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

The Country Branding StrategyHow the world is differentiating itself

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition

1. United States of America

2. Spain

7. Italy

8. Australia

10. Thailand

6. China

5. United Kingdom

3. France

9. Austria

4. Germany

As opposed to surveys and qualitative interviews, this country brand ranking combines the countries economic performance with the respective country branding strategies; a process which as yet, has never been done before. Such combination of variables has given birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm - which sets the world Ranking

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Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking ©2011 TOURISM - WORLD Ranking

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RateWorld Rank

17. Malaysia

26. Republic of Korea

29. Croatia

30. Morocco

32. Indonesia

33. Ireland

34. Czech Republic

35. Tunisia

23. Canada

24. Russian Federation

11. Hong Kong

15. Netherlands

16. Belgium

31. Singapore

14. Mexico

22. Sweden

20. India

13. Switzerland

25. Japan

12. Turkey

28. Poland

18. Egypt

27. South Africa

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21. Portugal

19. Greece

World Rank Rate

37. Philippines

39. Norway

40. Lebanon

44. Denmark

43. New Zealand

45. United Arab Emirates

48. Argentina

49. Finland

50. Bulgaria

52. Jordan

51. Cyprus

55. Slovenia

53. Dominican Republic

54. Syrian Arab Republic

56. Cuba

36. Saudi Arabia

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38. Hungary

41. Brazil

42. Viet Nam

46. Israel

47. Luxembourg

57. Slovakia

58. Chile

59. Bahamas

60. Costa Rica

World Rank Rate

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72. Cambodia

73. Malta

74. Barbados

83. Sri Lanka

76. United Republic of Tanzania

80. Ethiopia

79. Pakistan

81. El Salvador

78. Ghana

77. Lithuania

85. Oman

84. Latvia

82. Guatemala

61. Jamaica

62. Peru

71. Albania

64. Romania

65. Bahrain

70. Estonia

68. Iran

67. Panama

66. Kenya

69. Mauritius

63. Colombia

75. Kazakhstan

World Rank Rate

88. Serbia

86. Uruguay

87. Bosnia and Herzegovina

101. Montenegro

102. Senegal

100. Belarus

103. Yemen

105. Qatar

104. Fiji

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93. Honduras

94. Botswana

91. Uganda

89. Iceland

99. Trinidad and Tobago

92. Madagascar

95. Georgia

98. Maldives

90. Nigeria

96. Ecuador

97. Namibia

109. Armenia

108. Antigua and Barbuda

107. Seychelles

110. Saint Lucia

106. Kyrgyzstan

World Rank Rate

131. Grenada

132. Suriname

125. Paraguay

127. Saint Kits and Nevis

124. Benin

130. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

126. Rwanda

133. Gambia

129. Bangladesh

128. Zambia

135. Swaziland

134. Dominica

115. Mongolia

113. Nicaragua

114. Angola

118. Cameroon

112. Belize

120. Zimbabwe

121. Brunei Darussalam

111. Azerbaijan

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119. Sudan

117. Algeria

116. Nepal

122. Macedonia

123. Mozambique

World Rank Rate

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137. Burkina Faso

136. Vanuatu

142. Guyana

155. Papua New Guinea

146. Lesotho

147. Palau

148. Solomon Islands

149. Tajikistan

150. Tonga

151. Comoros

152. São Tomé and Principe

153. Federated States of Micronesia

156. Guinea

144. Malawi

145. Togo

143. Sierra Leon

154. Marshall Islands

157. Burundi

138. Niger

140. Samoa

141. Bhutan

139. Uzbekistan

World Rank Rate

One of the key differences in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking© and Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating© is the use of facts and official data as opposedto surveys and interviews. It combines hard data, such as economic indicators and country characteristics, along with communication strategies, giving birth to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.A consistent use of official and recognized sources

More than one source of information has been used throughout this project to elaborate the global ranking. The United Nations (UN) provided a comprehensive list of 193 countries*, which enabled us to avoid any bias in selecting and identifying specific territories.

The economic variables selected to measure the performance of the countries were taken from the World Bank (WB). This ranking uses 2009 data, the latest data available from all sources.

The communication strategies used by countries to attract tourism were taken from the Tourism Board Organizations (TBOs) of the respective countries associated with the World Tourism Organisation.When these TBOs were not accessible through the Word Tourism Organisation,information was gathered from embassies .

It can therefore be confirmed, that through the consistent use of official internationallyrecognized sources, the data used is current and accurate.

A revised and validated use of data

With these sources at our disposal, we collected the country brand strategy information of each country in order to understand how the country brand wishes to be perceived.

Naturally, the quality of the data used throughout this project is crucial. For this reason, the research methodology includes a two-step approach to checking the information. Only confirmed and official data through the World Bank, World Tourism Organization, and the United Nations has been used. Moreover, all TBOs have been contacted by email and telephone in order to verify the veracity of our information.

Our methodology assumes that the communication strategies used by TBOs are accurate. We do not question their authenticity as this is not the purpose of the study, we are only inter-ested in the impact they have on a countries’ economy. Even though some countries may choose to promote aspects that differ slightly from reality, this behavior is rare and eventually would have a negative impact on their tourism and their country branding.

This study examines 157 countries; it was not possible to include all 193 countries supplied by the UN. If a country did not promote any significant messages or if economic data was not accessible, then they were eliminated from the study.

An explanatory and comprehensive clustering of communication strategies

All country branding strategies are heavily reliant on the chosen communication strategies as they have a huge impact on the country's performance. Overall, more than 3,000 messages have been collected from official sources, and implemented as a basis of information throughout this report.

A country branding rating factor is derived from theBloom Consulting Algorithm which is designed to recalculate the rating factor depending on the eco-nomic performance and the communication strategy chosen by each country.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Bloom Consulting Algorithm cannot be manipulated by any single action.Bloom Consulting has created the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © in order to evaluate the effectiveness of a country‘s chosen communication strategy.

The relationship between communication strategies and economic wealth varies substantially between geographic locations and economic development stages. Therefore, these factors, along with the number of countries within each sector and the repetition rate of each message within each communication strategy, were taken into account. This ensured that we could derive an accurate and just algorithm in order to designate each country with a rating factor, a country coefficient detailing the effectiveness of its communication strategy.

The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © scale has classified the rating factors into7 categories according to the effectiveness of a country’s communication strategy.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Categories Rating

This rating reflects the effectiveness of the top 25 performers chosen communication strategies.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Rating © Top 25 Countries 2011 - Tourism Rating

The top 5 country branding performers have all achieved positive rating factors; however so have other countries located further down the ranking. Countries such as China, Australia, Aus-tria, and Egypt all have a major positive rating factor due to the use of the most effective com-munication strategy.On the other hand, the Netherlands, Russia, and Japan all received a neutral rating, while Canada scored the lowest and the only negative rating factor despite making it into the top 25 global ranking. This is because, even though they attract a lot of renenue through tourists, they could be using a more effective communication strategy and attract even more.

50% of all countries tend to use the same type of communication strategy regardless of geographic location. The majority choose to communicate messages related to cultural tourism, and leisure and entertainment.

The extent to which countries make use of messages, which messages they communicate, and the number of messages they use among other key facts, varies greatly from region to region. Most countries use different strategies when branding themselves.

Country branding differentiation can be achieved through the various messages a country decides to communicate, all with the same intent, attracting tourists. In particular, the level of differentiation varies from country to country. There are countries that have a high or low differ-entiation rate based on the communication strategy they use, which allows us to see how many other countries use the same communication strategy.

The most popular communication strategies worldwide are also the most popular communica-tion strategies within every region with the exception of Oceania. Oceania’s most popular mes-sages also include water sports and fishing. All of the messages in Table 1 have been used in the communication strategy of more than 40% of countries worldwide.

Table1. Most popular messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World1. Cultural Tourism 77%2. Leisure and Entertainment 69%3. Natual Features 53%4. Beautiful Destination 46%5. Sports Activities 43%

In fact, using popular messages does not guarantee a positive impact on the country branding strategy; actually, it’s the opposite. With the exception of cultural tourism, the most valuable messages according to the Bloom Consulting Algorithm © factor are not the most popular.

Table2. Most valuable messages used in a country‘s communication strategy - World 1. Gastronomy2. Relaxed Environment3. Urban and Rural Tourism4. Adventure Tourism5. Cultural Tourism

Communication strategies related to gastronomy are the most valued in the international arena. Other valued messages help to communicate such aspects of a country as relaxed environment and urban and rural tourism. Out of the top 5 most valuable messages, only cultural tourism is on the list of the most frequently repeated messages worldwide.

The communication strategies mentioned above are the ones that work best in the global arena. However, we know that a regional approach is needed and that the most valuable messages in each communication strategy vary from continent to continent. In Asia, Africa, and Oceania the messages communicated follow the same trend. However, in Latin America and Europe they use messages related to leisure and entertainment while in North America they use messages associ-ated with winter sports.

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Top 25 Countries 2011 – Tourism

The list of top country branding performers includes countries from all over the world. The US ranks first worldwide while European and Asian countries dominate the top 25. All other conti-nents are only represented by Australia, Egypt, and Mexico.

Bloom Consulting is a strategy consulting firm specialized in country branding.José Filipe Torres founded Bloom Consulting in 2003 and is a regular spokesperson at confer-ences and universities worldwide. He has been interviewed by both The Economist and Forbes, where he was identified as one of the top 3 country branding experts in the world.

At the moment Bloom Consulting have offices in Bulgaria, Brazil, Italy, India, Portugal andSpain (headquarters), as well as research centers in Tokyo and London. Bloom Consulting work closely with presidents, monarchs, ministers and institutions in order to define their strategy, establish their vision, and implement it. Bloom’s clients include the Bulgarian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish governments, and also regions such as Madrid, Castilla y Leon in Spain, and Alqueva and the southwest regions of Portugal.

Bloom Consulting has developed a 3T approach © to separate Trade, Tourism, and Talent strategies. One fundamental point for the success of all of Bloom Consulting’s country brand-ing projects, is the CAMPRO methodology ©. This methodology is a combination of academic and professional knowledge under Bloom Consulting’s management and control, key to obtain-ing the most accurate recommendations and insights for all clients.

More information

While this report provides a general global overview, the information presented here is anything but a glimpse of the findings we have at our disposal. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like a catered and detailed version of the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking © report for your country or region.

For more information, please visit:

www.bloom-consulting.com/country_branding_rankingwww.bloom-consulting.com/country_branding_rating

or send an email to countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com

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With the help of powerful multivariate statistical analysis tools, we successfully identified correlations between a country’s level of success in tourism and the perception that the country projects through its communication strategy. Case-differential tables, as well as matrices, were used to better comprehend the most significant relationships found, leadingto the Bloom Consulting Algorithm.

Hence, we present a ranking which positions a country brand according to its economic performance based on previous economic history and the Bloom Consulting Algorithm; a process which as yet, has never been done before. It is safe to say that our research has indicated that countries lack differentiation when it comes to attracting potential tourists. It is also proven that the most popular communication strategies are not the most effective. Tourists are looking beyond the traditional reasons to visit a country and are more inclined to try new experiences. This provides a great opportunity for countries to differentiate themselves.

AboutBloom Consulting

Development of CountriesHuman Asset ManagementBusiness Strategy

2011TOURISM TOP 25 PerformersEdition